Objective: To study the efficacy of long-acting repeatable bromocriptine in suppressing abnormal PRL secretion in microprolactinoma patients. To assess the incidence and nature of side effects induced by the product.
Design: Longitudinal, open label, noncontrolled.
Setting: Human hyperprolactinemic volunteers in an academic clinical research environment.
Patients: Ten patients with radiologically proven microademonas resistant or intolerant to oral bromocriptine were included.
Interventions: The patients were treated with 50 to 150 mg of long-acting bromocriptine monthly during 6 months.
Main outcome measure: The serum PRL concentrations and the side-effects were assessed before and after each new injection.
Results: Serum PRL levels decreased during the first cycle to normal values in four patients. At the end of the study the PRL levels were normalized in five cases and were only slightly increased in three. One patient was resistant to the treatment. Two among four infertile women became pregnant. In nine patients the accompanying symptoms disappeared after the 2nd month. Adverse events were mild or moderate and circumscribed to the 1st month of treatment.
Conclusion: The long-acting bromocriptine is both effective and well tolerated and is a good alternative to the oral approach in the management of microprolactinoma patients.